PITTSBURGH -- Jarvis Jones' second -- and final -- sack of 2014 showed why the Pittsburgh Steelers were so excited when they took the former Georgia All-American in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.
With the Steelers in a tight game, Jones put Carolina Panthers left tackle Byron Bell on his heels with a speed rush and burst inside, even with Bell getting help from a guard.
Jones made enough contact with quarterback Cam Newton's shoulder to knock the ball loose. Fellow outside linebacker Jason Worilds recovered the fumble in Panthers territory.
A turning point in the Steelers' 37-19 win at Carolina also proved costly.
Jones dislocated his right wrist on the play, pretty much costing him his second NFL season.
"The play he got hurt on was a special play," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said earlier this week, "and we anticipate that continuing once he gets back healthy."
The Steelers are going to need big plays from Jones moving forward -- and not just because they have yet to receive much return from the first-round pick they invested in him.
Jones is the only outside linebacker on the Steelers' roster who has NFL experience and is signed for next season. That, Colbert acknowledged, would be disconcerting "if we had to play today."
But, Colbert added, "We'll be fine once we get to August."
What the outside linebacker corps looks like once training camp is underway is anybody's guess.
James Harrison, who re-signed with the Steelers after Jones got hurt, emerged as their best pass-rusher last season. But Harrison has yet to reveal whether he wants to play in 2015. And the five-time Pro Bowler may be a better bet to end up in Tennessee -- where former Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is now leading the defense -- than in Pittsburgh if he doesn't return to retirement.
Worilds, who tied for the team lead in 2014 with 7½ sacks, will be an unrestricted free agent if the Steelers don't tag the fifth-year veteran or sign him to a long-term contract before March 10.
The Steelers are unlikely to use a transition tag on Worilds for the second year in a row. And Colbert has hinted that the Steelers may let the former second-round pick test the market before trying to re-sign him.
Arthur Moats, who started 10 games at right outside linebacker last season, will also be an unrestricted free agent if the Steelers don't re-sign him within the next month.
Colbert said the Steelers, who had just 33 sacks, could look for help at outside linebacker in free agency or the draft -- if not both.
"Looking ahead to the draft, that's probably one of the positions that's potentially strong," Colbert said of pass-rushers. "Right now there's a nice group of candidates for that position."
He also seems confident that the Steelers could fill some of their holes at outside linebacker with their own free agents.
"Almost to a man I'd be shocked if [they] didn't want to stay," Colbert said of the Steelers' impending free agents. "I feel they all would like the opportunity to be able to stay. It doesn't mean they won't field other offers or see what else is out there. In the end I think the majority of them will want to be here."